Category Archives: Australia news

North Queensland floods: hundreds evacuated, dozens rescued as 1.2m of rain dumped in some areas

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BoM says weather system weakening, but flood waters continue to rise and Ingham is cut off after bridge at Ollera Creek collapses

Authorities say there is “more significant rain to come” in north Queensland, amid warnings to residents not to return to flooded homes.

Dams and river catchments from Mackay to Cairns remain swollen from a week of heavy rain, which has dumped more than 1.2 metres on some locations.

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Peter Dutton and home affairs department cleared of wrongdoing in case involving Melbourne terrorist

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No potential breaches found by independent inquiry into former Coalition government’s handling of Abdul Nacer Benbrika case

Peter Dutton and the home affairs department have been cleared of wrongdoing over what a judge described as “a serious interference with the administration of justice” in a court case involving Melbourne terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika.

But the independent review clearing Dutton and his former department will not be released publicly, Guardian Australia has confirmed.

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Ghost of Campbell Newman haunts early days of Crisafulli government

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Dumped commitments, lack of transparency and an absence of accountability are the hallmarks of the Queensland LNP government so far

One hundred days on from the Queensland election, the new Liberal National party has a problem of its own making.

Two strategies won David Crisafulli’s party power in October. The first was to convince the state there was a youth crime crisis, then promise hardline responses.

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NSW minister apologises after asking chauffeur to drive 446km for Australia Day weekend lunch

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Transport minister Jo Haylen admits ‘I made the wrong decision’ after ministerial car booked out for 13 hours for Hunter Valley lunch at winery

The NSW transport minister, Jo Haylen, has apologised after using her ministerial driver to chauffeur her and some friends to and from a three-hour private lunch on the Australia Day weekend – at a cost of $750.

“I made the wrong decision,” Haylen said on Sunday when apologising and confirming she would repay the money for the 13-hour, 446km trip to the Hunter Valley.

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One dead in Ingham flood waters as Townsville ‘black zone’ suburbs urged to evacuate

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Herbert River predicted to reach record levels as north Queensland seaside town of Rollingstone records 999mm of rain in 48 hours

Hundreds of north Queensland residents have fled their homes as suburbs and towns are inundated by rising flood waters, with authorities warning a near-record deluge could become more severe than “once in a lifetime” storms five years ago.

A woman was killed on Sunday morning during an attempted rescue from flood waters at Ingham north of Townsville.

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People with insufficient home insurance more likely to risk their lives in bushfires, experts say

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Research shows in tough times people often let home and contents insurance lapse, which could lead to dangerous decision to stay

People are more likely to risk their lives in bushfires if they are uninsured or underinsured, experts have said.

In the chaos of an approaching fire, most people struggle to make rational decisions; having no house insurance could feed into making the dangerous decision to stay and protect a home, bushfire behaviour and management professor at the University of Melbourne, Trent Penman, said.

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As DeepSeek upends the AI industry, one group is urging Australia to embrace the opportunity

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Recruiting top graduates could stop other countries pulling ahead in artificial intelligence race, tech council says

One Australian company has discouraged staff from using the technology, others are scrambling for advice on its cybersecurity implications – while federal government ministers are urging caution.

But others have welcomed DeepSeek’s arrival, calling for Australia to follow China’s lead in developing powerful yet less energy-intensive AI technology.

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‘The next 24 hours will be critical’: flooding to second-storey level possible as torrential rain soaks Queensland

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Townsville warned of ‘very serious and dangerous event’, with flooding likely to continue into middle of next week for state’s north

Cyclonic rainfall totals have lashed the regions of north Queensland as prepare-to-leave warnings were issued for six suburbs across Townsville.

The state’s north has been hit by torrential rain for days, resulting in road closures, flash flooding and multiple rescues due to tropical lows off the coast.

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Australian lawyer caught using ChatGPT filed court documents referencing ‘non-existent’ cases

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Immigration minister says such conduct must be ‘nipped in bud’ as lawyer referred to office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner for consideration

An Australian lawyer has been referred to a state legal complaints commission, after it was discovered he had used ChatGPT to write court filings in an immigration case and the artificial intelligence platform generated case citations that did not exist.

In a ruling by the federal circuit and family court on Friday, Justice Rania Skaros referred the lawyer, who had his name redacted from the ruling, to the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC) for consideration.

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Man charged after allegedly drawing Nazi symbols in Sydney in latest antisemitism crackdown arrest

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The 37-year-old was charged after police allegedly found him using a marker to write on a wall in the city’s eastern suburbs

The New South Wales police strike force investigating antisemitism has charged another person, after officers alleged they saw a man drawing Nazi symbols including a swastika in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

In a statement, police said that officers from the Strike Force Pearl proactive team were performing “high-visibility patrols” about 4.30pm on Friday when they saw a man allegedly using a marker pen to write on a wall in Anzac Parade, Kingsford.

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Surviving breast cancer was enough – Patsy didn’t want to undergo early menopause as well

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Study finds too few women are told chemotherapy can cause early menopause – or given the drug that can lessen that risk

When Patsy Mullen was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had no idea that chemotherapy treatment could lead to early onset menopause.

It was Mullen’s oncologist who mentioned the possibility, and offered the then 47-year-old the drug Goserelin, which reduces the risk by up to 70% compared with women receiving chemotherapy alone.

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Australia tried to influence other countries and Unesco to keep Great Barrier Reef off in-danger list

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Exclusive: Documents seen by Guardian Australia show a sustained strategy approved by environment minister Tanya Plibersek

The Australian government carried out an international lobbying campaign to keep the Great Barrier Reef off a list of world heritage sites in danger, including dispatching politicians and officials to Unesco’s Paris headquarters and asking diplomats to gather intelligence on countries that could influence the decision.

The campaign is revealed in documents released to the Greens after a parliamentary request and show how Australia sought to influence Unesco and members of the 21-country world heritage committee in the lead up to a crunch meeting in July last year.

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Two men abused by George Pell in 1970s granted compensation by the federal government

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Accounts of the two men were accepted by decision-maker of national redress scheme with $45,000 and $95,000 awarded respectively

Two men abused by George Pell in Ballarat in the 1970s, when Pell was a priest in the diocese, have been granted compensation by the federal government’s national redress scheme.

An investigation by journalist Louise Milligan, published in the Monthly and by the ABC, states one of the men was compensated for being anally raped by Pell in a school gymnasium. The other told the redress scheme he was groped on the genitals by Pell during a game in a swimming pool.

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Police missed red flags before WA man killed a mother and daughter on hunt for ex-wife, report finds

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After Ariel Bombara claimed WA police ignored repeated warnings her father was dangerous and had guns, eight officers now face disciplinary action

Police officers missed red flags and should have seized the guns of a man who went on to kill a mother and daughter in a search for his ex-wife, an internal investigation has found.

Mark Bombara killed Jenny Petelczyc and her 18-year-old daughter, Gretl Petelczyc, in their suburban Perth home, before taking his own life.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732.

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Man allegedly behind ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks applies for bail

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Victoria police say Yarraville man, 21, is accused of vandalism on Flinders Street station clock and other prominent locations

A man accused of being one of Australia’s most prominent graffiti artists has faced court after allegedly causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage with his cartoon-like bird murals.

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, sat in the Melbourne magistrates court dock on Friday afternoon and smiled at times as the allegations against him were read out.

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Australia news live: youth vaping rates plummet after law reform; police alert 5000 Australians targeted by overseas romance scam

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The federal health minister cited data showing vape use among young Australians has significantly reduced meaning new laws are working. Follow today’s news live

Cyclone threat looms in northern Australia as drenched region braces for yet more rain

North Queensland is on cyclone watch with three tropical lows given a chance of developing in the coming days, bringing heavy rain that has flooded roads and homes.

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The ‘speedo’ beats the Worm as commercial TV catches federal election fever | The Weekly Beast

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Seven reveals its latest psephological device as the network makes an early start on election coverage. Plus: Daily Telegraph’s tiny correction for big maths fail

The date for the federal election has not been set but that hasn’t stopped the Seven network from unveiling its Election Needle, a gimmick resembling a car’s speedometer which they say will predict whether Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton is winning the election.

The network that brought you the “Screen of Dreams” and “The Panic Station” during the 2022 race between Scott Morrison and Albanese rolled out the Election Needle’s first prediction this week.

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Human Rights Commission considers discrimination complaint against Peter Dutton over Gaza comments

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Complaint lists numerous public comments by the Liberal leader, a staunch supporter of Israel, which it alleges show discriminatory behaviour towards Palestinians, Muslims and Jews

The Australian Human Rights Commission is considering a complaint that alleges Peter Dutton discriminated against Palestinians and Muslims in public comments after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and during the subsequent war in Gaza.

The complaint, coordinated by the law firm Birchgrove Legal, includes allegations that “Palestinian-Australian, Arab-Australian and Muslim-Australian complainants” reported feeling “dehumanised … and humiliated as an ‘Other’ who does not and should not matter to Australia” as a result of some of the Liberal leader’s public commentary.

“justifying or otherwise failing to condemn violence against Palestinian civilians by Israel in likely breach of international humanitarian law”;

“erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians by denying crimes and atrocities committed against them”;

“and conflating Palestinians as being terrorists or terrorist sympathisers”.

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‘Disrupt or be disrupted’, mainstream parties warned as voters turn to populists

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Research shows voters losing faith in traditional centre-left and centre-right to deliver meaningful change

Voters in western democracies are turning away from mainstream political parties and towards populists because they are losing faith in their ability to implement meaningful change, a major report based on surveys of 12,000 voters has found.

The popularity of traditional centre-left and centre-right parties across major democratic countries has plummeted from 73% in 2000 to 51% today, according to research by the Tony Blair Institute.

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Man with ‘sexsomnia’ not guilty of raping woman after judge warns jury in Sydney trial

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The 40-year-old had a medical condition where people exhibit sexual behaviour during sleep, court heard

Jurors have acquitted a man diagnosed with “sexsomnia” of rape.

On Thursday, Timothy Malcolm Rowland, 40, was found not guilty of having non-consensual sex with a woman at his Sydney apartment on 26 August 2022, after the pair spent a night out together.

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